Halloween Snacks

So far I’ve posted about Halloween food, now the snacks.  Next week I’ll be looking at some Halloween movies, drinks and mood music to add to your Halloween themed game and fun night.  And yes… I’ll be talking about good games to play at your Halloween party as well 

Caramel Apples

For carmel apples, basically use whatever you have around or like. Start with an apple, add a covering of caramel (best to use melted caramel and dip the apples) and then while the caramel is still sticky you can add basically anything you want. Experiment. You can use chocolate, peanut butter, butterscotch, toffe bits (any flaky or shredded sugary candy or cookie products tend to work and stick well to the caramel base)  Also, if the apples are store bought you should remove the slippery wax coating on the apples so the caramel does not slide off by washing them in hot water.

There is a nice website with more ideas that are similar to what is pictured above at the link below.

Caramel apples recipe

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Better than scented candles, a favorite halloween food of mine is to bake the unused pumpkin seeds after carving the pumpkin. Take your time and find a nice fresh perfectly shaped pumpkin. A unique pumpkin unlike any other. Now, cut the top open and gut that perfect pumpkin

To roast your pumpkin seeds, do not wash them first! Washing removes all the natural flavor and extra pumpkin bits. However, you should rub off most of the pumpkin gunk so you can see most of the actual seed. Place a single layer of seeds on a cookie sheet. Try and keep them in an even layer as they bake better when not laying on each other. Add salt to taste and bake at 250° until dry, stirring occasionally, but not too hard or often to knock all the salt off. Bake them for about 15-25 minutes or until they start to turn a very light gold. Place them in small bowls around toe room and they will be gone in no time.

Notes : You can also spice them up a bit and experiment with a few tablespoons of sugar with maybe a teaspoon or two of salt. You could also add some cinnamon. For a zing add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper. These store fairly well in a sealed plastic container for about a week… though they are normally eaten long before then

This is a personal recipe I originally learned from my mom.  For other pumpkin seed recipe ideas that add spices and such, follow the link below.

Pumpkin seed recipes

Scream Cookies

These are a fun easy cookie to add to your ghost, bay, cat and pumpkin shaped cookies, especially if you’ll be watching one of the Scream movies with friends.  All you really have to do is make your favorite cookie from scratch or store bought cookie dough.  The scream head shape is easy to cut out by hand and bake as your recipe or instructions on the dough say.  Then cover them with vanilla frosting, again store bought or homemade, and leave holes in the frosting for some hard candy to make the eyes and mouth.

For full homemade recipe ingredients, a larger picture of the cookies and step by step instructions to make these as pumpkin pie spice cookies just follow the link below.

Spice scream cookies

Apple Bites

These are also a fun creative Halloween themed way to have a healthier snack.  All you need is an apple and some slivered almonds.  Just quarter and core an apple, cut a wedge from the skin side of each quarter, then press slivered almonds in place for teeth.  Tip: If you’re not going to serve them right away, baste the apples with orange juice to keep them from browning.

Recipe website

Invisible Pops

These are easy lollipops you can make and fill with your own candy ideas.

Ingredients:
Makes 1 dozen

2 cups sugar
12 lollipopsticks
2/3 cup light corn syrup
Assorted candies and seeds, such as red and black licorice whips, candy corn, and pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)

Directions:

1. Line three baking sheets with Silpat nonstick baking mats or parchment paper. Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside.
2. Bring sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Don’t stir, but occasionally wash down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water to prevent crystals from forming; boil until mixture turns golden and registers 300 degrees to 310 degrees (hard-crack stage) on a candy thermometer, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Immediately set pan into ice-water bath to stop the cooking (syrup will steam vigorously); let sit about 20 seconds. Swirl pan 2 minutes more to cool.
4. Working quickly, pour syrup onto baking sheets, forming circles (3 to 31/2 inches in diameter) and spacing pours about 4 inches apart .

Press in lollipop sticks.

With your fingertip or a wooden skewer, lightly press candies and seeds into syrup. Let stand until completely hardened and cooled.

Recipe website with step by step photos

Monster Cupcakes

I saw these monstrously cute cupcakes and they are relatively easy to do.  I highly recommend using a dense cupcake recipe.  To make a denser and cakey cupcake mix or if doing these from a box you can try a moist thicker cake mix, don’t over mix, add more flour and less liquid or add some whipped frosting or pudding mix or even try some dry chocolate cocoa mix.   I say this because it’s easier to cut into the brownie for the mouth without it falling apart.

Basically, to make these just bake a dense cupcake and when they are out of the oven simply use a flat knife to cut out a mouth like shown in the image.  Then use store bought or home made frosting to fill the mouth.  It’s best to use a thicker frosting.  Place sliced in half mini marsh mellows for the eyes and bits of cut marsh mellows for the teeth.  You can then use mini chocolate chips for the eyeballs. You can stick them in upside down or melt them a bit.  The horns are just more frosting.

Recipe website with more and larger pictures

Kitty Litter Cake

The best for last?

Kitty Litter Cake

1 spice or German chocolate cake mix
1 white cake mix
1 large pkg vanilla instant pudding mix
1 pkg vanilla sandwich cookies
Green food coloring
12 small Tootsie Rolls
1 new (and definitely unused) kitty litter pan
1 new plastic kitty litter pan liner
1 new Pooper Scooper

Prepare cake mixes and bake according to directions (any size pans). Prepare pudding mix and chill until ready to assemble. Crumble white sandwich cookies in small batches in food processor, scraping often. Set aside all but about 1/4 cup. To the 1/4 cup cookie crumbs, add a few drops green food coloring and mix using 5. When cakes are cooled to room temperature, crumble into a large bowl. Toss with half the remaining white cookie crumbs and the chilled pudding. (Mix in just enough of the pudding to moisten it. You don’t want it soggy. Combine gently).

Line new, clean kitty litter box. Put mixture into litter box. Put three unwrapped Tootsie rolls in a microwave safe dish and heat until soft and pliable. Shape ends so they are no longer blunt, curving slightly. Repeat with 3 more Tootsie rolls and bury in mixture. Sprinkle the other half of cookie crumbs over top.

Scatter the green cookie crumbs lightly over the top. (This is supposed to look like the chlorophyll in kitty litter.) Heat 3 Tootsie Rolls in the microwave until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake; sprinkle with cookie crumbs. Spread remaining Tootsie Rolls over the top; take one and heat until pliable, hang it over the side of the kitty litter box, sprinkling it lightly with cookie crumbs. Place the box on a newspaper and sprinkle a few of the cookie crumbs around.

Recipe website

Hope you have fun trying some of these Halloween snack ideas!  If you try these I’d love to hear your thoughts and see any pictures of the snacks you make for your own Halloween party.

Note:

See all of my Halloween 2009 posts for food, snacks, games, movies and other ideas for your Halloween party